Lennar Multifamily is making quick work of this mixed-used development at the former Superior Plating site, 315 First Ave. NE in Minneapolis. The NordHaus project includes 280 apartments, 22,000 square feet of retail and other uses. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Status report: Lennar’s NordHaus project

Lennar Multifamily’s mixed-use development is taking shape quickly on the former Superior Plating property in northeast Minneapolis, a once-polluted site that required years of cleanup.

The NordHaus project will bring 280 apartments, 22,000 square feet of retail, a restaurant and 390 parking spaces to the 5.45-acre property at 315 First Ave. NE. The project includes a 20-story tower connected by walkway to a six-story low-rise.

Jon Fletcher, senior development manager for Lennar Multifamily, said Friday the project is on or ahead of schedule in every respect, with the first apartments to be delivered in August and the entire project to wrap up next spring.

Richfield-based Weis Builders is the general contractor and ESG Architects of Minneapolis has design duties. Lennar Multifamily is part of Florida-based Lennar Corp.

The six-story low-rise recently “topped out,” and the larger building has reached a height of about 10 stories with 10 to go, Fletcher said.

NordHaus has bragging rights as one of the city’s top projects of 2016 as measured by building permit value. Last summer, the city issued building a permit with a construction value of $75 million for the project. Between the permit value and land purchase, the project cost is nearly $89 million.

Only four other projects in the city had higher permit values in 2016, according to city records. Hennepin County Medical Center’s new $224.6 million outpatient care center, under construction at 715 S. Eighth St. in downtown Minneapolis, tops the list with permits valued at $134.9 million.

In total, the city issued permits with a combined construction value of $1.757 billion during 2016.

NordHaus rents will range from about $1,500 to $5,000 per month, though they haven’t been officially set. About 400 potential tenants are on a waiting list, Fletcher said. Units range from studios to three bedrooms, with sizes from 550 to 2,900 square feet.

The project is also attracting interest from potential retail and restaurant tenants, he said, though Lennar hasn’t announced any specifics yet.

Amenities include “Scandinavian-inspired finishes,” dog play areas, bicycle lounges, concierge services that will notify residents when a package or delivery has arrived, four “work-from-home suites,” and club and hobby rooms, according to Lennar.

Fletcher said the work-from-home suites will be available to residents for rent on a daily or weekly basis. They will offer full-size, furnished office spaces equipped with high-speed Internet, TV and more, he said.

The NordHaus project has been in the works for some years. Finance & Commerce first reported in October 2014 that Lennar had a deal to purchase the site. Lennar paid $13.74 million for the property in 2015, according to Finance & Commerce records.

Lennar traces the site’s history to 1891, when the Minneapolis Rapid Transit Street Railroad Co. developed it as a streetcar repair location. Superior Plating took over the property in 1955 and ran its plating operations there until shutting down in 2012.

The site was contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants. Environmental remediation was completed last July and construction began shortly thereafter, according to Lennar.

Cleanup costs ran in the “millions,” Fletcher said. The project team received cleanup grants from the Metropolitan Council, the state of Minnesota, Hennepin County and other public sources.

Minneapolis City Council Member Jacob Frey said he’s “thrilled” with the new uses that are rising up at the site.

“We have transformed a really polluted, vacant site into an urban paradise,” Frey said in an interview.

The design strives to be “very sensitive to the pedestrian experience” along University Avenue and First Avenue, said Christine Pecard, project manager for ESG Architects, which designed the NordHaus.

The development transforms a “superfund” site into a sustainable, transit-oriented development that celebrates walkability, bicycle usage, human-scale spaces and all things green, she added.

A 1-acre rooftop gathering space will sit atop a third-floor parking garage between the two main buildings, Fletcher said. That space also will include a pool, hot tub and other amenities.

Multiple varieties of vegetation will bring life to the roof space, while at the same time helping to reduce the need for storm water retention, Pecard said.

The design brings as much natural light as possible into the shared spaces and residential units, she said.